Apostasy

Of course, it goes without saying that any liberal who tries to reverse-engineer this formula will soon find himself ostracized from polite society. Fame and fortune await the Weekly Standard staffer who denounces fellow conservatives as mean-spirited bigots; poverty and obscurity is the fate of the Nation columnist who loses faith in feminism or gay rights.

No, only GOP quislings and conservative turncoats can enhance their social status by plunging knives into the backs of their alleged ideological allies and partisan friends. Somewhere out there at this very moment is the Kathleen Parker of tomorrow, the future David Gergen biding his time while waiting for the opportune moment to strike. ~ R.S. McCain

Is he kidding? Being sarcastic? Or do the fame and fortune of ex-leftists like David Horowitz and the media attention and political influence that come with being a Democratic “centrist” like Joseph Lieberman somehow not factor into this equation? Even granting – it seems unlikely, but let’s grant it anyway – that the Post and the Times and the CNNs and Newsweeks of the world would decide not to run with the story, the storm of publicity that would be unleashed by the likes of the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, FOX News, and – of course – NR and the Weekly Standard if a Nation writer went pro-life or outed herself in support of the GWOT would surely rival anything generated by the heresies of a Kathleen Parker. Obviously the sorrystate of the GOP makes the business of being a Republican “turncoat” especially attractive right now, but have we already forgotten the sad tale of Jerry Taylor?

In general, and as is of course typical of McCain’s writing on topics like this one, this sort of self-pitying nonsense obscures what is really a somewhat important part of his argument, namely that the consequences of being (really or merely apparently) reformist or independent-minded are often a bit less like martyrdom than some would like to think. Depending on which circles one runs in, the pressure to make one’s opinions “respectable” can be quite real, and there can be a consequent temptation to focus on the heretical opinions at the expense of the disreputable ones, to put oneself forward in a way that says, See, I’m not one of THOSE [conservatives/Christians/Republicans], to use the image of independence as a shield to deflect the sorts of criticisms that usually come along with having unpopular opinions.

But even allowing for this nugget of truth, what’s simply baffling about McCain’s argument is his unwillingness to acknowledge the extent to which social pressures can play exactly the opposite roles in shaping one’s political identity. The thrills of apostasy can often seem attractive, but political coalitions have got baskets full of ways to enforce partisan orthodoxy; hence I’ll gladly match every Parker that McCain can produce by turning up a Taylor, and then I’ll raise it from there with a handful of GOP Hill staffers and writers at NR or the Standard who’ve obediently swallowed their doubts about the policies that constitute orthodoxy in the present-day GOP. Soi distant freethinking can be a nice way to get ahead in this world, but willing groupthink is generally an even easier one.

Yes, well when one is so immersed in groupthink orthodoxy it becomes very difficult for one to think of dissent as anything but apostasy, and that is sadly where McCain finds himself. It’s a shame, because it is narrowing – it chokes the life out of good ideas in favor of “purity” which is at best an abstract notion supported by abstract guidelines.

I am always amused by RS McCains rowdy and curmudgeonly style, but his ongoing crusade against
RINOs and conservative traitors is getting a bit old. As you said, the fate of apostates does not really differ across ideological lines; in fact, the original apostates to liberalism, the neo-conservatives, seem to have done alright for themselves.

Now, McCain may have a point that the bravery of apostates is often exaggerated, because any friends you lose in your former camp are usually quickly replenished by the allies and friends you make in your new home. So McCain does score a small hit there: namely, that criticizing your host movement is not always that brave. But a lot of this depends on the content of the apostasy. If you break with Republican dogma from the center, then yes – you will do alright. But if you break with Republican dogma from the RIGHT, then you better not quit your day job. (vice versa with the left)

Basically, the main problem with McCainian analysis is that he sees politics as a binary combat between two monolithic forces: conservatism and liberalism. There is no variation of thought or critical distinctions with the ranks. He assumes everybody must by definition have sworn some allegiance to one side, so that whenever they break ranks – no matter how trivial or unimportant the issue – its some kind of serious betrayal. I mean, Kathleen Parker has always been a pretty centrist pundit, whose main focus was criticizing the excesses of contemporary feminism. Whining about her breaking conservative orthodoxy just seems like a waste of time.

Finally, this growing self-pity among movement types really needs to stop. If you take a strictly conformist line on the Republican party and can write complete sentences, you are basically guaranteed a job. Probably not at the New York Times, but definately somewhere. Which is not the case for independent-minded right-wingers, who are stuck writing in sparse corners of the internets. I mean, McCains idea that we heterodox conservatives are all partying it up – presumably on Ross Douthat’s gigantic yacht or something – is just fucking retarded.